The Portland daily press., 1887-10-27


pay reading, as It bears
,deston of great Importance.
..cely had brought home to us
.esovn on class prejudice in the South by the
case of young colored man, educated in
Maine. who was driven from Mississippi for
sending to Maine papers letters derogatory
to the Southern people. Very ndiscreet
those letters may have been, but there was
nothing in them which court of justice
could have decreed worthy OF the slightest
punishment; yet the white people of Missis-
sippi have pronounced and enforced the pen
atty Of perpetual exile upon the unhappy
author. OF the state of society where such
things happen it has been difficult to impress
upon the people of the North proper and
unprejudiced understanding. The victims
Of outrages are listened to with caution as
being persons undnly prejudiced by their
wrongs; Northern statesmen, when they
have called attention to the deplorable social
and political conditions in the South, have
been discredited in the minds Of large por-
tion OF the public by the partisan cry that
they were "waying the bloody shirt" But
the accusation of personal or political preiu
dice can hardly be brought against the officer
of great religious and philanthropic organi-
zation, who is laboring to remove the evils,
and has no object in his assertions but to
make the great task appear as hopeful as
possible. Such an officer, we have no doubt.
is DR.. Strictly and his statement of the rela-
tions of the white man and the negro in the
South will undoubtedly be received by
northern people Of all parties and of all
rejudces as honest and fair. There are
aree great facts 10 regard to the negro in
che South. In the first place he does not en-
joy his guaranteed rights. II wish" says
DR.. Strictly, ITO give due credit to the extent
and to the localities in which he does enjoy
these rights, but speaking broadly they are
largely denied to him. BE was deprived of
the ballotat one time by violence, and is now
by fraud; in all cases where his vote would
be decisive in State or National politics, it is
not counted-in other words, the race is prac-
tically DISTINGUISHED. In the courts he sell
dom finds standing as lawyer or a Juror;
In the chain gang only does he enjoy mo-
nopoly In the church, the school, the shop,
he does not, as rule, have equal rights he
cannot join any church he pleases, cannot
choose the school to which he will send his
children, cannot enter the shop to learn a
trade or to work as a journeyman. He can
not, everywhere ride in street car, on the
railroad or steamboat with the white man
though he may buy the same first class
ticket; he cannot, in many places, attend the
theatre concert or lecture with the white
man nor with him eat lunch at the restau-
rant, nor lodge in the hotel. He is con-
fronted, hindered and insulted at every step
he takes towards enjoyment or improvement
"a flaming sword guards the avenues to
knowledge, industry and virtue against him.
His guarantees of equal rights are mock
cry" He is also left in ignorance and vice
to great extent. More than million of
the colored people of ten years old and up
wards can write, but more than three mil
lions cannot. Both their ignorance and
their vices make them the dupes Of de-
signing men. Moreover the negro is under
the ban of caste prejudice; and this,
In DR.. Strieby's opinion, lies at the bottom of
the whole difficulty, in that it refuses to see
his good qualities, denies his capacity for
improvement, shuts to him the doors of
knowledge, cheats him at the polls.
wrongs him in the courts, and consigns him
perpetually to position of a newer of wood
and drawer Of water, thus enstamping the
race distinction broad and permanent. and
awakening In his heart either utter discour-
agement or implacable hatred" If anyone
thinks the language of DR.. Strictly too strong
we should like to corroborate it by the words
of Southern politician, who no doubt I'M
derstands the sentiments of the people for
whom he speaks. Said Governor McEnery,
In recent speech TO Democratic meeting
at Mobile, La. at is not the fault of the
white man-it is not the fault of the colored
man-that race antagonism exists; it is SEN
timent, an instinct, passion beyond the
control Of either. Therefore, as much as it
may be regretted, yet owing to causes inher-
ent In human nature itself. at any moment,
and under provocation now unforeseen. a
spark may produce conflagration in our
midst. The dream of the Yankee crank is
that this question can be solved by miseere-
natlon' out my Judgment is that, deplore it
as we may, the inexorable logic forced upon
us by the Interchangeable and eternal laws of
human nature itself is that we have To de-
termiDe whether the negro shall govern and
rule the white man, or whether the white
man shall govern and rule the negro" Sem
ator Eustis, at this same meeting, declared
that God himself had drawn the color line
that "our civilization has to DO worked out
by white brains, white muscle and white
sympathies. and that the other race must
work out its redemption in the line appoint
ed by Providence under the leadership and
direction of the white race" OF the results
of this caste prejudice. DR.. Strictly takes a
very startling view Not many probably
will concur with him in this; but no one
VIII dissent from the proposition that great
duty lies before both the North and South to
educate and elevate the colored race. I'm
fortunately the South, blinded by its own
prejudices, refuses to see whittier it is drift
NJ.